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I was diagnosed with GHSV1 by PCR in May this year, an infection I think I picked up at the beginning of the year but the symptoms were so mild they went unrecognised.

When I got my diagnosis in May I started taking Valtrex daily and am still on this medication. However roughly 6 1/2 weeks prior to my HSV 1 diagnosis I was possibly exposed to HSV 2 - I think my partner was a carrier but didn't have any symptoms.

I had a blood test last week that came back negative for HSV2 and positive for HSV1. Given my continuous use of Valtrex that I started six weeks after HSV2 exposure, is this blood test result accurate or should I be tested again? Thanks.

I was diagnosed with GHSV1 by PCR in May this year, an infection I think I picked up at the beginning of the year but the symptoms were so mild they went unrecognised.

When I got my diagnosis in May I started taking Valtrex daily and am still on this medication. However roughly 6 1/2 weeks prior to my HSV 1 diagnosis I was possibly exposed to HSV 2 - I think my partner was a carrier but didn't have any symptoms.

I had a blood test last week that came back negative for HSV2 and positive for HSV1. Given my continuous use of Valtrex that I started six weeks after HSV2 exposure, is this blood test result accurate or should I be tested again? Thanks.

Taking viral suppression medicine would not produce a negative blood test. You could have HSV2, but if you've not had an outbreak, then your body has not produced the antibodies to then be detected by a test. Until there is a lesion to swab, you may not know for sure.

My advice is if you have casual partners, and you know you have one type and are unsure about the other, be upfront with any new partners and use protection.

While the same suppression medication may be used for both types, I think the dosage and dosing periods may vary, so just continuing to take your meds for type 1 may not provide the same benefit if you present with type 2 in the future.

I suggest you keep a vigil eye on your situation and go see your doctor immediately if something changes.

I wish you well and it seems like this is a good site for support.

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Valtrex and HSV 2 seroconversionTaking viral suppression medicine would not produce a negative blood test. You could have HSV2, but if you've not had an outbreak, then your body has not produced the antibodies to then be detected by a test. Until there is a lesion to swab, you may not know for sure.

My advice is if you have casual partners, and you know you have one type and are unsure about the other, be upfront with any new partners and use protection.

While the same suppression medication may be used for both types, I think the dosage and dosing periods may vary, so just continuing to take your meds for type 1 may not provide the same benefit if you present with type 2 in the future.

I suggest you keep a vigil eye on your situation and go see your doctor immediately if something changes.

we don't routinely recommend daily suppressive therapy for hsv1 genitally. why? well for starters, on average it's active less than a dozen days out of the year so taking a daily medication isn't worth the money or effort of doing so. Also since hsv1 genitally tends to reoccur infrequently, it doesn't disrupt your sex life much either.

if you want accurate blood testing for hsv2 from the encounter in question, stop suppressive therapy, wait at least a month if not longer and repeat your hsv2 igg just to err in the side of caution. 6 weeks might not have been enough time for your body to build up a detectable response to hsv2 infection to be reflected on the blood testing you had done and since your hsv1 genital infection was mild, if this was a previous infection for you, it could've made your initial hsv2 infection less noticeable.

Talking about std testing is NORMAL and something we all should be doing EVERY TIME before we have sex with a new partner :)

we don't routinely recommend daily suppressive therapy for hsv1 genitally. why? well for starters, on average it's active less than a dozen days out of the year so taking a daily medication isn't worth the money or effort of doing so. Also since hsv1 genitally tends to reoccur infrequently, it doesn't disrupt your sex life much either.

if you want accurate blood testing for hsv2 from the encounter in question, stop suppressive therapy, wait at least a month if not longer and repeat your hsv2 igg just to err in the side of caution. 6 weeks might not have been enough time for your body to build up a detectable response to hsv2 infection to be reflected on the blood testing you had done and since your hsv1 genital infection was mild, if this was a previous infection for you, it could've made your initial hsv2 infection less noticeable.

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